Bakersfield-Garces Memorial

Mission Statement

The Garces Memorial FFA Chapter’s mission is to help students develop a higher understanding of the agriculture industry and the impact leadership on agriculture and society.

Student Leaders

Office	Name	Biography
Chapter President	Sophia Camou	Sophia not only serves as our chapter president but is also the San Joaquin Regional Kern Inyo Vice President this year. Outside of FFA she is a FORD dream builder, senior class president, Kern County 4-H youth president, Kairos retreat leader, member of her local Basque club, and has many officer roles in our campus clubs! She shows and raises market and pygmy goats with her two sisters and has been involved in agriculture since she can remember. Some of Sophia's fondest FFA memories include serving as a national delegate in Indianapolis last year, attending the Washington leadership conference, and being elected to regional office for the past two years. Sophia is excited to continue to make lasting connections within her blue jacket and center her chapter around their faith this year. Her advice to our members is to be open to all opportunities within our amazing organization. Sophia has met some of her best friends through FA and believes there is a place for everyone in our program. She cannot wait to help each and every one of you make the most of this year!
Chapter Vice President	Luke Zunino	As president of the chapter, I am responsible for keeping the chapter together as a whole and keeping the program on track. It is my duty to make sure that our members are able to experience FFA to the fullest ability that I can offer. My goals for the year consist of getting more members involved and growing our chapter to the best of my ability.
Chapter Secretary	Maddy Baeza	Bio Coming Soon
Chapter Historian	Alaura Townsend	Bio Coming Soon
Chapter Chaplain	Gino LaFever	Bio Coming Soon
Chapter Treasurer	Jilliana Borba	Throughout this 2023-2024 school year I am very excited to grow as a Treasurer with my chapter. Being Treasurer I am responsible for things like; collecting money for chapter dues, keeping track of our account, recording the payment, and more. I hope that I will be a good example for the rest of the chapter and that they will be excited to come to meetings and other events. I can’t wait to make memories with my fellow officers and the chapter!
Chapter Sentinel	Andrew Reed	Bio Coming Soon
Chapter Reporter	Sienna Surgener	Bio Coming Soon
Chapter Reporter	Sienna Surgener	Bio Coming Soon
Section President	Maddy Baeza	Bio Coming Soon
Regional Vice President	Sophia Camou	Sophia not only serves as our chapter president but is also the San Joaquin Regional Kern Inyo Vice President this year. Outside of FFA she is a FORD dream builder, senior class president, Kern County 4-H youth president, Kairos retreat leader, member of her local Basque club, and has many officer roles in our campus clubs! She shows and raises market and pygmy goats with her two sisters and has been involved in agriculture since she can remember. Some of Sophia's fondest FFA memories include serving as a national delegate in Indianapolis last year, attending the Washington leadership conference, and being elected to regional office for the past two years. Sophia is excited to continue to make lasting connections within her blue jacket and center her chapter around their faith this year. Her advice to our members is to be open to all opportunities within our amazing organization. Sophia has met some of her best friends through FA and believes there is a place for everyone in our program. She cannot wait to help each and every one of you make the most of this year!

Program Vision Statements

Develops a knowledge and understanding of leadership in agriculture.
Grows confident in their work as a student in agriculture.
Encourages achievements in their Supervised Agriculture Experience.
Inspire others to be who God created them to be while striving to do their best.
Develops skills in teamwork, communications, human relations, and social interactions.

Student Committees

Committee	Committee Summary and Objectives
Growing Leaders - Career Success Chair: Alaura Townsend	Alaura and Andrew will reach out to industry professionals to share their journey and plan activities to go along with their talk. They will review and recap each month to help kids learn about different jobs in the agriculture industry.
Growing Leaders - Healthy Lifestyle Chair: Emma Machado	The Healthy lifestyle committee is aimed at providing a desirable experience through providing an option for members to be able to practice healthy eating and physical habits. We value mental health practices and realize the struggles of being involved and busy in high school. We will host several “fun days” where members will be able to come together and take a break from life and enjoy time with their peers. This committee will be promoted through social media and announcements over the intercom. There will be an event on the 1st of every month or within the week.
Growing Leaders - Leadership Chair: Sophia Camou	In an effort to promote leadership in our chapter Sophia and Jilliana will be holding regular meetings before every FFA conference. At these meetings they will explain the benefit of attending conferences and how these conferences make you a better leader. They will explain the expectations for each conference, the students role, the meaning of the conference, and what to bring. This committee is great for anyone who wants to represent our members at above chapter level events.
Growing Leaders - Personal Growth Chair: Sophia Camou	This committee is in place to assist members with their ability to grow as a person and gain more experience with different responsibilities. Members will learn about money management practices, how to navigate platforms like The AET, and how they can improve themselves overall. Workshops will be hosted once every other month.
Growing Leaders - Scholarship Chair: Sophia Camou	This committee is in place to promote scholarships to all program completer’s and seniors. The committee will help inform members of what is available and encourage them to become more active within our chapter and community in order to receive a scholarship. Members will be informed in class about the scholarship and directed to the chapter reporter for more information.
Building Communities - Environmental Chair: Mariana Etchamendy	This committee is dedicated to helping our community and environment through taking care of the local farmland within our county while promoting the image of the FFA. The environmental committee will host a “Farm Day Clean Up” once a quarter where students will gather at a designated part of town in order to remove illegally dumped trash and keep our farmlands clean.
Building Communities - Human Resources Chair: Luke Zunino	Through this committee, the FFA chapter will be able to promote our image on campus by creating different “appreciation gifts” for teachers on special holidays and events. This would include gifts on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and FFA week. This allows our chapter to provide outreach to the school and grow our image while making a positive impact.
Building Communities - Stakeholder Engagement Chair: Sophia Camou	Through the stakeholder engagement committee, students will be able to gain work experience through a local agriculture entity. This will give students valuable experience while assisting the agriculture community and develop connections with our chapter and the local agriculture community. This opportunity will be held once a year.
Strengthening Agriculture - Agricultural Advocacy Chair: Luke Zunino